Bandit: A Journey Through Kanto
by atotw
Summary: An ex-Bandit, Adam decides to steal a starter Pokémon from the famous Professor Oak and start a journey around the Kanto region. However, his plan comes to a halt when another Bandit shows up before him. M for Language and planned themes.
1. Ex-Bandit

**Chapter One: Ex-Bandit**

"Come on, Jasper." Adam leaned to his side, next to the twin-sized bed in his quarters, and grabbed his yellow and white drawstring traveling bag. Jasper, his Meowth, sat at the foot of the bed, but jumped onto Adam's shoulder at the command. "We're out of here."

Adam opened the door to his room, slipped into the hallway of the building, and gently shut the door behind him. The walls were white and so were the floors. Bright, fluorescent lights gave no way for shadows as Adam and Jasper treaded lightly down the hallway. There would only be one obstacle for sure—the guard at the door.

At the end of the hallway, Adam stopped in his tracks. For once, the guard at the door—an oaf of a man in a black bandana with a red B centering his fore head and a suite to match—wasn't asleep. Instead, he was on his phone, watching something or another. Adam couldn't make it out from where he stood.

"Hm." Adam was very quiet about any noise he made. His brown eyes met his Meowth's eyes for a second, and then he reached into the pocket of his slim blue jeans and pulls his own phone out. After making sure the volume was completely off, including the vibrate feature, he dialed the guard's number. A quick ring passed before the guard answered. "There's been a breach in sector three, the second floor."

Adam hung his phone up immediately following his statement. He peered toward the door, watching the confused guard survey the premises. Though hesitant, the guard headed for the stairs, leaving the door wide open. When Adam was sure the guard was gone, he made his way out of the building.

The cool air of Cinnabar Island blanketed Adam's face. A moonlit breeze gently swayed his messily spiked brown hair. There was no one else around; it was the middle of the night. For a second, Adam stared at the mansion that he'd called home for the last few years. It was bold, with cracked paint and silvery trim. Adam remembered all the stories: the rise of Team Rocket, the search for Mew, the birth of Mewtwo. This building had a legacy.

The horn of a barge in the port broke Adam's concentration, as his eyes met Jasper's once again. With one last look at the building, he made haste toward the docks. If he missed the barge, he'd be stuck there until the following evening. And he couldn't wait any longer.

"Meowth." Jasper jumped to the ground and ran at Adam's side. Onto the planking docks, Adam could hear the creak for every step he took. The barge had begun to pull away from the dock, slowly but surely.

"Return, Jasp." Adam pulled an ultra ball out of his pocket, letting the red beam dematerialize Jasper into thin air. As he ran, Adam stuck the ball back on his belt. The barge was still close enough, and at the end of the dock, Adam leapt over the small distance of water, barely landing the stead ground of the tail end of the barge. Once he got his footing, he took a seat, breathing heavily. He'd be there until morning.

The same horn that had signaled the barge's departure woke Adam up the following morning. Adam had tucked himself into a corner, barely away from the splashing water, as the ship sailed the ocean for Adam's destination: Pallet Town. When Adam's eyes opened, they were passing by some grassy land, still a good ten miles away from Pallet Town.

Adam opened up his bag and pulled out his uniform and bandana. Where he was going, he didn't need nor want them anymore. The Bandits, as they so affectionately called themselves, were and evolution of the once strong-standing Team Rocket. When Team Rocket finally fell, or gave up their dauntless quest, a few stragglers became the Bandits: a group more focused on stealing for both wealth and show. But Adam had other dreams now that he was sixteen years old. He wanted to travel. He wanted to register for the Pokémon League.

One more heist, Adam thought, as he glared at his uniform. Once he'd stolen a starter Pokémon from the professor in Pallet Town, he'd be on his way, ready to start his journey. Adam dropped his uniform into the water as the barge continued forward. He reconsidered his bandana, which he actually kind of liked, and stuffed it back into his bag.

It wasn't long before the boat finally docked right outside of Pallet Town. Before anyone began departing the barge, Adam jumped to the dock and hastily ran until he was off the port. Pallet Town wasn't large. It had dusty dirt roads and few sidewalks. All the houses were small, cottage-like homes with colorful gardens and wooden fences.

"Hey, mister," a young boy with blond hair and blue eyes said from his yard. "Are you lost?"

Adam stopped in his tracks. His hood was up, covering his eyes and most of his face. He kept his distance.

"Can you tell me where the Pokémon Research Facility is?"

"It's down the way a bit," the boy said. "It's a big building on top of a hill. You should see it soon."

"Thanks, Champ." Adam flashed a smile, knowing that was all the boy could see, and headed on his way.

The blond boy had been right. The Pokémon Research Facility was atop a grassy hill with stone steps. Adam surveyed the building, scoping the parameter for weak spots. He figured he'd have to wait until it was dark, but that didn't mean he couldn't figure out a plan anyway.

As Adam made his way up the stone stairway, hoping to get a bit closer to the foundation, something inside—something made of glass—shattered. A man began to yell while other things seemed to topple over.

"What the?" Adam hurried up the stone stairway until he was at a window. Inside, he saw an older man in a white lab coat yelling at something or someone. The man was standing in front of a glass and steel contraption that had pokeballs shelved inside.

"You can't have any of the Pokémon," the man yelled, though his voice was muffled by the building. "They belong to hardworking trainers around the region. Capture your own."

"No need to be frantic, Professor," a silky voice said. This voice was one Adam recognized. It belonged to a member of the Bandits, one with long black hair and piercing blue eyes. She had light skin and a pointed smile. "I'm only here for the starters. Though, I can't promise I won't take the powerful Pokémon from the back."

"Shit." Adam reached for Jasper's pokeball. He wasn't sure what to do as he watched the scene begin to play out. Part of him thought he should leave. He'd shown up to do the exact same thing his former comrade was there for, but his motives were different.

The girl, Grace, pulled a pokeball of the belt above her black skirt and released a Vulpix onto the tiled floor in a bright white light. The Vulpix screeched as she stretched her body, her fluffy tails bouncing up and down.

"I'll burn the whole place down." Grace's thin eyebrows set right over the crease of her eyes. "I have no problem burning you while I'm at it."

Adam shuddered. Grace was one of the more ruthless members of the Bandits. She never cared who got hurt, so long as she got the prize. Adam knew he couldn't leave the professor now. He adjusted his hood, making sure it covered his face enough, and then he rushed through the building doors and down the hall.

"Maybe you're not being fair," Adam said, his voice deeper than normal.

"Who the hell are you?" Grace seemed unnerved, but only for a second. "Would you like to come out of this with charred skin as well?"

"I don't plan on any harm coming to me at all." Adam grabbed Jasper's pokeball, taking note that he couldn't give himself away. "Meowth, I choose you."

Jasper appeared on the floor in the same fashion as Vulpix had. On all fours, he arched his back upward, taking the offensive, his eyes focused on his foe.

"Ha." Grace followed that with dramatic laughter. "One of the fools back at basecamp has a dingy Meowth. I'm hardly scared."

"Try this guy instead." The Professor, a man gray in the hair, snatched one of the pokeballs from his machined container and handed it to Adam. "Whoever you are, this Pokémon will win for sure."

"Okay." Adam grabbed the pokeball and stared at it for a moment. This could have been one of the Pokémon he was planning to steal for his journey. He could leave now with no consequence. "Pokemon, go."

"Squirtle!" The blue and shell Pokémon appeared with a wide grin.

Adam grinned at the sight of Grace's reaction to the Squirtle. But her reaction was quickly masked. She balled her fists, her face strained from a frown.

"Vulpix," she said, "use Quick Attack."

Vuplix cheered as she lunged forward, disappearing and reappearing as she closed in on the Squirtle. Squirtle looked from side to side, watching for the Vulpix, a somewhat unsure look on his face.

"Water Gun." Adam stood firmly behind Squirtle, who nodded and took in a deep breath.

With a thud, the tufts of Vulpix's curled hair smashed into Squirtle's stomach, knocking the water straight upward, and knocking him into a table. Groaning, Squirtle jumped back to his feet. Before Adam could say anything, the Squirtle let out another blast of water, this time straight for Vulpix.

"Jump out of the way," Grace yelled, but it was too late. The water soaked Vulpix, leaving her orange fur dripping into a puddle under her. "Vulpix?"

"While she's drenched," Adam said, extending his index finger forward, pointing at Vulpix, "use Tackle."

"Squirt!" Squirtle charged ahead, slamming into the disoriented Vulpix, knocking her into the wall behind her. Before Vulpix hit the ground, Grace returned her to her pokeball.

"It's interesting," Grace said. "That an old man would have a stranger fight his battles rather than fight them himself. Show us your face."

"Show yourself the door," Professor Oak said. "Unless you want the wrath of my other starter Pokémon."

"I'm too intrigued to care about what you want, old man." Grace stepped forward, grinning. "I'll have my eye out for you, hooded boy. I'm sure we'll cross paths again soon."

Grace reached into her sack and threw something to the ground, causing an opaque, black smoke to rise around her. When it faded, she was gone. Adam turned to the professor as Jasper jumped onto his shoulders.

"That was some fine battling, young man," the professor said. "You remind me a lot of my grandson. Show me your face."

Adam took a deep breath and lowered his maroon hood. His smile was more of a grimace, and a pit formed in his stomach.

"Your Meowth has a good trainer in you," Oak said. "Tell me your name."

"My name is Adam," he replied. "And you shouldn't be thanking me. I came here with every intention of doing what she did. Though, I only planned on stealing one of your starters, so I could start a journey."

"Oh?" Professor Oak appeared startled for a moment. "And why would you need to steal one of my Pokémon when you have one of your own?"

"Jasper here isn't much of a battler." Adam scratched Jasper's side. "He does when I need him to, but he's more peaceful. I found him before I joined the Bandits, back when I lived in Cerulean City. He was malnourished and fishing out of a trashcan behind my old home."

"Interesting." This was not the response Adam had expected, but Professor Oak seemed to be smiling. "A boy rescues a starving Pokémon but joins a team of thieves, too. What a paradox. You really want to train, though, right?"

"Yes." Adam felt excitement rush over his body in a tingle. "I only joined the Bandits when my mother died. My brother was already on his own journey, so I had no one but Jasper. They took care of me these last few years, but I want more. I didn't mean to put you and your Pokémon in the middle of it."

"Why don't we make a deal," Oak said. "The newest edition of the Pokedex has just been made available for trainers. However, I am in my off season, so I have no trainers to give it to. Why don't you take one of my starters and go on this journey you so desire? In exchange for the data you get for me, I won't turn you in for what you had planned."

Adam's eyes went wide. Professor Oak seemed so sure he could trust him when he'd just admitted his plan. Though, Adam was sure the professor was also considering how Adam had fought his own teammate to keep a Pokémon from being stolen. He glanced at Jasper, who closed his eyes and nodded in agreement.

"If Jasper's on board, so am I." Adam forged a nervous grin. "Are you sure you want to trust me?"

"Honesty is important," Oak said. "And so are your training skills. I know talent when I see it. Now, which one of the starters would you like to take with you? I have the Squirtle you battled with, a Charmander, or a Bulbasaur."

"This isn't something I have to think about," Adam said, and he was right. He looked at the Squirtle he'd battled with. "This little guy is the one I want. I choose Squirtle."

"A mighty fine choice." Oak was grinning. "I just have to get you registered. Are you planning on nicknaming him the way you've nicknamed your Meowth?"

Adam bit his lower lip and glared at his new Pokémon. "I think I'll call him Swell."


	2. Starvation Nation

**Chapter Two: Starvation Nation**

Professor Oak had all but pushed Adam, Jasper, and Swell out of his laboratory once Adam was registered for the Pokémon League. He seemed more excited than Adam had been, though Adam's excitement was more of an anxious feeling. Seeing Grace had reminded him that he would probably run into his former teammates throughout his journey. He knew how ruthless they could be, but as long as he kept his hood up, they'd never know it was him. He hoped, at least.

Swell was tucked into a pokeball that sat on Adam's belt while Jasper was walking through town, next to Adam. Professor Oak had pointed them North, down a dusty pathway that dissected a rather expansive field of grass. Trees were lightly scattered throughout the field with wild Pokémon—Spearow, Pidgey, and Ratatta—in packs huddled together.

"I should catch another teammate," Adam said, as they walked. "Professor Oak said he wanted me to gather data. I guess I should point this Pokedex at these wild Pokemon, huh?"

Jasper purred in agreement.

Adam pulled the Pokedex out of his pocket. It was a sleek tablet with a red border and a green on button. It was small, a similar size to a cell phone, which was convenient considering it doubled at a phone and tripled as a way to access the internet. For that reason, Adam had tossed is Bandit-issued burn phone on his way out of town. The last thing he needed was for any of the Bandits to call him and ask where he was.

Adam held the Pokedex up, letting the lens on the opposite side of the screen face the wild Pokémon. It logged data on the Spearow first, citing the wild bird as somewhat of a temperamental creature. Rattata was listed as a food-centric Pokémon, always stealing from alleyways, though there weren't any alleyways right outside of Pallet Town. The Pidgey were said to be more tame than the Spearow and to be good for sending messages to faraway friends.

"Hm." Adam hit the power button his Pokedex and stuck it back into his pocket. He tugged on his black shirt, straightening it out, and sighed. "I don't think I really need any of those Pokémon."

Adam thought for a second. He supposed a flying type Pokémon wouldn't hurt, but he also didn't think it would be a good idea to cause havoc in a group of them just to capture one. With another sigh, he headed forward. Jasper quickly followed.

The sun was beating down on him after a while of walking. He could feel beads of sweat form over his forehead. It was only the middle of the day, barely after noon, but the heat was higher than Adam was used to. The island, he supposed, must've been cooler because of the surrounding water. When he thought to look for shade, he was interrupted by the sound of someone ahead—a tall, light skinned boy with shaggy blond hair and blue eyes that sat under black-framed glasses.

"Get the hell out of here," the boy yelled, stomping his foot to the dirt ground.

Adam exchanged a quick glance with Jasper before heading for the boy. The boy wore a light blue tank top with a pokeball symbol centering on his chest and a pair of khaki shorts. He toward across from a small, off-white fur ball with a brown big nose and pointed ears. The Pokémon was holding a sandwich in his hand.

"Give me back my sandwich," the boy yelled, his tone more stern than frantic. "I only have a few for myself. And I'm not going to feed any strays."

"Hey." Adam ran forward. "Need some help?"

"No." The boy crossed his arms. "I just need my sandwich back, but this stupid Mankey thinks it's funny or something."

Adam pulled his Pokedex out of his pocket and learned that Mankey was a pig monkey Pokémon with an attitude problem. He also learned it was a fighting type, which intrigued him.

"Why don't you just battle it?" Adam glared at the boy, their eyes meeting. "I'm sure you could get your sandwich back that way."

"I can't," the boy said. "My Charmander is poisoned, right now, and I don't have any Antidote on me. Otherwise, I'd be all over a battle."

"I suppose I can battle him for you." Adam stepped forward, reaching for his belt. "I'm Adam, by the way. You can thank me later. Go, Swell!"

Out of his pokeball, Swell appeared with a grin. The blond boy took a step to the side, Jasper joining him, to spectate.

"All I really need you to do is knock the sandwich out of this Mankey's hands," Adam said. "But feel free to knock him out, too."

"Squirtle." Swell nodded.

"Tackle." Adam's command wasn't loud but more sure instead. He had battled so easily with Swell at Professor Oak's lab. He was confident in his new Pokémon.

Swell charged forward, slamming his round, blue head right into Mankey's nose. The sandwich, however, remained firm in Mankey's grasp, as Mankey extended its two-pronged foot out and knocked Squirtle off balance.

With haste, the Mankey stuffed the rest of the sandwich into his mouth and choked it down. The blond boy's face fell in defeat, and Adam's eyes went wide.

"Water Gun," Adam said. "Take him down while he's distracted."

Swell jumped right to his feet and blasted the eating Mankey onto his back. He began to shake furiously, kicking his legs in all directions.

"There we go." Adam pulled an empty pokeball from his belt. "Might as well give this a shot."

He tossed the ball at the Mankey, smacking it right on the stomach. As the ball sucked Mankey up in its white light, the last bit of the blond boy's sandwich sailed from Mankey's mouth and into the air. With a squish, it landed next to the closed and shaking pokeball.

"Gross." The blond boy said. "That was a waste of time."

With a ding, Adam realized he'd captured the wild, sandwich-loving Mankey. He knelt down and grabbed his pokeball from the ground and stuck it on his belt.

"We'll call him Baker," Adam said, as he turned to face the blond boy. "Sorry I couldn't save your sandwich, but thanks for inadvertently helping me capture this Mankey."

"Sure, whatever." The boy grabbed his backpack off the ground and slung it over his shoulder. "But I'm literally sitting in starvation nation, right now, so I need to get to Viridian City before I wither away."

"Cool." Adam followed after him. "I'm heading that way, too. There's a gym there that I want to take on."

"Good luck with that." They continued walking. "That's Professor Oak's grandson's gym. You're not a bad battler, but there's no way you're up to the snuff that dude battles with. You'll probably want to go to Pewter City first."

"You seem to know your stuff."

"That's how I passed Professor Oak's class, last year. I'm Graham, by the way."

"Nice to meet you." They shook hands as they walked. "How come you are just traveling out here now, Graham? Or have you already collected all of your badges?"

"Nah." Graham let out a slight laugh. "I was ready to go, last year, but then my father got sick. It was just him, my little brother, and me, so I stayed to take care of them. Now my dad has a new girlfriend, so I can finally go on a journey."

"Ah," Adam said. "Are you going to challenge the gyms, too, or are you going to just travel around?"

"I'll be collecting badges," Graham replied. "I suppose that probably makes us rivals, so we'll have to battle at some point when my Charmander isn't suffering."

"I take it you haven't captured any other Pokémon." Adam chuckled. "But sure. A friendly competition couldn't hurt."

The two continued walking and talking; it helped pass the time as they headed toward Viridian City. It had come time for the sun to set, but Viridian City wasn't in site.

"I'm so hungry." Graham groaned, holding his stomach in agony. "There is no way we're going to make it to Viridian now."

"You're being awfully dramatic." Adam stopped walking and pulled his sack over his shoulder, opening it to look inside. "I made sure to bring grab some food before I left the base. It's not a lot, but I figured it'd help me in a pinch."

"You've had food this entire time?" Graham's blue eyes were wide with fury. "After your stupid Mankey cost me my sandwich? That is so inconsiderate."

Adam raised one eyebrow in judgment. He reached into his pack and pulled two granola bars out. He handed one to Graham, figuring he could just buy himself better snacks when he finally got to the city.

"And what base are you talking about?" Graham snatched the granola bar, hastily ripping the wrapper off of it and stuffing a bit of it into his mouth. "Mm. Thanks so much, dude."

Adam felt his stomach drop. "You're welcome. And I didn't mean base, I meant home. My older brother and I used to call it basecamp. We were dorks. Anyway, we should probably make camp somewhere. Or you can keep going. I'd rather get some shelter before it gets cold out. I wasn't that prepared for this journey."

"I have a tent," Graham said. "But I only have one blanket, so we'll have to figure that out. Can your Squirtle lend us some water to drink? I may be able to survive until the morning with just this granola bar but not without drinks."

"I have a water bottle." Adam threw his sack on the ground; they had stopped nearby a tree. "I'm not going to exploit my Pokémon for a drink."

"Fine then." Graham's bag hit the ground. "Help me pitch the tent. It's nothing special, but it'll keep us sheltered for the evening, anyway."

"You got it." Adam knelt and grabbed the cloth off the ground. Graham had been right. The tent was fairly simple. It was also fairly small, and when they finished putting it up, Adam wasn't sure how they'd both fit in there. "Now what? It's not early enough to go to sleep."

Even as he said that, Adam felt his body riddling with fatigue. With a yawn, he almost regretted his question, but he knew the second he closed his eyes his body would wake right back up.

"I should call my family and tell them where I am." Graham took a seat, cross-legged, on the grass below. "I hope you don't mind."

"Nah." Adam followed suit, but he left his legs extended. Jasper jumped into his lap and began to nuzzle his stomach.

Graham pulled his Pokedex out of his backpack and swiped the screen to the phone function. With a swift touch of seven numbers, the phone began to ring. Shortly after that, a familiar young face appeared on the screen. It was the same kid that had pointed Adam in the direction of the Pokémon Research Facility earlier that morning.

"Graham!" The boy was ecstatic. His eyes swerved toward Adam. "Hey. You're that man I told how to get to Professor Oak's to this morning."

"What?" Graham looked at them both. "Well, that's a bit weird. Toby, is Dad home?"

"Nope." Toby shook his head. "Dad is out with his girlfriend. Mrs. Ketchum is here watching me. She's telling me stories about her son's journeys all over the world."

"Ah, okay." Graham seemed a bit let down. "Well, tell Mrs. Ketchum I said hello and tell Dad I am almost to Viridian City. Be good for Mrs. Ketchum."

"Okay, brother." Toby bore a wide grin. "Bye!"

The screen went black. Graham packed his Pokedex back into his backpack and sighed. He looked at Adam.

"That's weird that you met my little brother already," he said. "That kid will make friends with anyone."

"He helped me get to the lab." Adam still felt guilty about his original plan. "I probably could have found it without his help, but I definitely found it faster because of him. Who's Mrs. Ketchum?"

"Our neighbor," Graham explained. "Her son is a lot older than we are, but he's traveled the entire world. He's competed in almost every Pokémon League out there. He doesn't come visit as often as he used to."

"Sounds like my brother." Adam thought to the days before he was a Bandit. His brother—a taller, tanner version of him—was the talk of their hometown for a while. He'd even dated the gym leader at one point or another. "I haven't seen him in almost four years. Not since our mother died."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Graham's hand sat on Adam's shoulder. "My mother died when I was really young. Right after Toby was born, in fact, so I know how you feel."

"I think I'm going to go to bed." Adam got up in a huff; he hated talking about his mother and brother. They always reminded him of the stupid decisions he made once they were gone. He pulled open the flap of the thin tent and spread his body out against the hard ground that sat under it. Jasper scampered in, curling himself near Adam's feet. With his hands clasped over his stomach, Adam lay there, staring at the dark crease of the tent's ceiling. It wasn't long before Graham made his way in as well.

"I didn't meant to strike a nerve, dude." Graham pulled his blanket out of his backpack and spread it over both of them. "I don't have any pillows."

"I'll use my hoodie," Adam said. He pulled it from his sack and bunched it together under the back of his head. It wasn't exactly luxury or anything. "And don't be sorry. I'm not good with talking about my mother, and my brother pretty much abandoned me. I've had to fend for myself for a while."

"Well, you have a friend in me." Graham smiled. "We can be friends even though we're rivals, right? Or is that against some kind of code?"

Adam laughed. "I'm sure rivals are allowed to be friends, too. And thanks. Same goes to you."

Graham yawned, which caused Jasper to yawn, which caused Adam to yawn. With a goodnight, Adam closed his eyes and so did Graham, both falling into slumber despite the uncomfortable ground below.

The following morning, Adam's eyes shot open at the feeling of something shaking rather furiously. Groggily, he looked around, the sun brightly stinging his eyes through the fabric of the tent. Jasper was still at Adam's feet, but there was something heavy against his chest. He rose his head, only to find a mop of shaggy blond hair laying there.

"Uh, dude?" Adam poked Graham's sleeping head. "I think you got a little too comfortable, last night."

"What?" Graham's head shifted, and he rolled to the side. "Oh. I'm sorry, man. I tend to move around when I sleep. I didn't mean anything by it. What time is it?"

Adam reached for his Pokedex, but the ground began shaking once again. This time, he was sure something was causing it rather than his own mind. He immediately sat up, staring at his abruptly woken Meowth.

"What was that?" Graham looked around; the shaking continued.

"I don't know." Adam got to his knees. "But, my guess is that it isn't good. Maybe we should investigate. Come on."

And before Graham could respond, Adam had exited the tent, Jasper close behind.


	3. Relics

**Chapter Three: Relics**

His heart racing, Adam made his way into Viridian City, Jasper close behind. Adam was thankful for one thing—there had been no other earthquake during his run. The last thin he needed was to lose his footing or harm himself while on his way to seeing what was going on. He came to a slow stop, almost sliding on the pavement of the sidewalk once he was a good amount into the city.

Jasper meowed, jumping onto Adam's shoulder, as Adam surveyed the area. Viridian was a large city with large buildings, many businesses, and a clear sky. It smelled smoggy, but Adam expected that. He'd been to Viridian before, with the Bandits, on missions and such. He'd had the chance to steal a Pokémon from a wealthy lady in town, but he didn't. He couldn't bring himself to do it. He often offered to secure the premises rather than steal anything.

"Hm." Adam continued his look around. There weren't any cars on the street or any people on the sidewalks. "Maybe the earthquakes scared everyone inside."

Then he heard it. Someone yelled, "STOP," from the middle of town, and another earthquake quickly followed.

Adam braced himself on a nearby streetlight. He could feel Jasper's claws dig into his shirt, though Jasper seemed careful not to knick Adam's skin. This quake lasted longer than the ones before, but only small things on the street seemed to be affected. There were no fissures that Adam could find. Not yet, at least.

"Adam." Graham ran to Adam once the quake had stopped. Graham was as out of breath as Adam was when he had entered town. "What gives, dude? I had to take the tent down."

"Sorry," Adam said. "There's something going on in the middle of town. We should go investigate."

"My Charmander is still poisoned, though." Graham carried an uneasy look on his face. "Maybe if we could get to the Pokémon Center first."

"There's a Mart right over there." Adam pointed to the left. Down the street, on the corner, was a white and blue PokeMart. "Come on."

Adam bolted forward first, but Graham was close behind. They hurried down the street and into the PokeMart. They found one clerk, in a blue vest, with his eyes glued to the television set behind the register.

"We need an antidote," Adam said. "Where are they?"

The clerk pointed to the back without taking his eyes off the television. Graham hurried back there, but Adam stayed at the front, watching the television with the clerk. On screen, a woman in a two-piece suite with a microphone stood near the front of the Pokémon Center, at the center of the town.

"We are live from the middle of Viridian," she said, "during what seems to be a calculated attack from the Bandits. For those of you who don't know, the Bandits are an evolved, new-age version of Team Rocket, aimed solely on rare prizes and large sums of money. They are violent and ruthless"

Adam rolled his eyes; he'd heard it all before. And it was true. Some of his fellow Bandits were the cruelest people he'd ever met. His stomach churned just thinking about some of the things they'd done to people just for defending themselves.

"What's going on?" Adam asked the clerk.

"There's a Bandit downtown," the clerk said without removing his eyes from the TV. "She's been spitting out something about the Viridian Relic and using a Golem with earthquake to threaten someone into giving it up. I don't think anyone knows what it is, though."

"I got one." Graham returned. "How much for this antidote, dude. My Charmander needs it."

"Whatever, just take it." The clerk waved them off. "It's not like the Bandits aren't going to ruin everything they can. Might as well get what's good while you can."

"What?" Graham looked at Adam.

"Let's go." Adam pulled Graham's arm and led him out of the store. He grabbed the antidote from Graham's hand and held it up. "Get your Charmander out. We have things to do."

"Calm down, dude." Graham reached for his Pokémon's pokeball and let him out onto the ground. Charmander was wheezing, his yellow belly rising slowly. "My Charmander won't be any good against a Golem. But your Squirtle can probably take him out."

Adam sprayed Charmander with the antidote. A moment passed and Charmander got to his feet.

"I don't know about that," Adam said. "Squirtle hasn't ever been trained before. I'm not sure how he'll do against a fully evolved Pokémon. I want to know what the Viridian Relic is, though. That's what they are looking for according to the TV."

Adam reached into his bag and pulled his hoodie out, zipping it over his upper body.

"Why are you putting your hoodie on?" Graham asked. "It's hot out."

"Humor me." Adam turned and began running toward the middle of town. "Now, let's go."

When Adam made it to the middle of town, he found a small crowd near the town's fountain, outside the Pokémon Center. Atop the fountain, which was still spitting water, was someone he recognized as an executive in the Bandits—Sage. He put his hood up to make sure no one would recognize him.

"This is your last warning, citizens of Viridian." Sage had her hands on her hips. Her dark blue hair sat under a black Bandit bandana, and her orange eyes glinted in the sunlight. "If someone does not tell me where the Viridian Relic is, I will demolish this town at once."

There were murmurs from the crowd, but nothing was loud enough to be clear. Adam stepped forward, Jasper on his shoulder. The Golem stood in front of the fountain with a happy-go-lucky smile on his face. Adam shook his head.

"Maybe you should tell us what exactly his relic is." Adam made his way to the front of the crowd.  
Sage looked at Adam with slight confusion. She crossed her arms.

"I heard about you," she said. "My cohort said she battled a loser in a hoodie yesterday at Oak's lab. Tell me, why don't you show us your face?"

"I'm not sure what I look like should matter," Adam said. "Just know that all it takes is one person standing up against a coward with a big Pokémon for others to start feeling confident. I have two Pokémon that can take your Golem down, but I bet the people of this city wouldn't mind helping me out. Swell. Baker. Come on out."

In bright white light, Adam's Squirtle and Mankey appeared.

"Earthquake," Sage said.

"Golem." The ground began shaking furiously, knocking both Swell and Baker onto their backs. Even Adam found himself fighting for balance. But he knew it was important to keep his head covered, so he stayed up. The earthquake didn't last long.

"You were saying?" Sage held a smirk. "All it took was one earthquake to knock your Pokémon on their asses. I'm not sure anyone else could help you out."

"Togepi, use Solar Beam!" a voice from the crowd registered, and a little yellow Pokémon with a pointed head and a cracked egg body appeared on the ground. The Togepi glowed, her mouth opening wide, and a thick beam of yellow light soared for the Golem, crashing into his round, rocky body, and knocking him into the fountain. Sage lost her balance, falling into the water.

Adam stared at the Togepi in awe as a teenage girl with light pink hair, pulled into round looped pigtails, stepped out of the crowd. She wore a lacey, pink sundress and flip flops. Her eyes were blue.

"How the hell does your Togepi know Solar Beam?" Sage got to her feet, half soaking wet.

"That's privileged information." The girl talking, the Togepi's trainer, looked like Nurse Joy, but she wasn't wearing the uniform. "She was bred competitively, but ended up in my care instead. Bet you didn't expect something so small to pack such a punch, huh?"

"You'd think this worthless Golem would be able to stand up to a little egg." Sage held out a pokeball and returned the Golem to it. "I stole it from the gym leader in Pewter ages ago. What a waste."

Sage dropped the pokeball in the water.

"I'm out of here," Sage said, grabbing another pokeball from her belt. "Since none of you seem to have what I'm looking for, I will have to figure out another way to get it. Later."

Sage let out a Pidgeot. This one, Adam recognized was her own. She'd raised it from a Pidgey over the years. Sage jumped on Pidgeot's back and they flew off into the sky.

Adam pulled his hood off and headed for the fountain, grabbing the pokeball from it. He wasn't sure if the Golem would be affected by having his pokeball submerged, but he didn't want to chance the Pokémon drowning without any chance to get out.

"So you're the hooded guy Professor Oak was talking about?" the girl with the Togepi headed for Adam. "I'm Joy, of the nurses."

"Adam." Adam said, glaring at the pokeball. "I think I will return this to the Pewter City Gym Leader when I get there. Before I take him for everything he's worth, battle-wise."

"You should come to the center and get some lunch." Joy turned and headed toward the crowd. "I'm sure Professor Oak would love to hear from you."

Adam's stomach dropped. He recalled Swell and Baker to their pokeballs and followed Joy into the crowd. He felt numerous people touch his shoulder and a few people thanked him for being the first to stand up to Sage. Graham stood at the back of the crowd. Adam stopped when he saw him.

"You're dangerous." Graham laughed. "I think you've got a good handle on yourself, though. I'm going to get going. The main job of a rival is to stay ahead of his rival. And, since you're my rival, I need to get ahead of you."

"We're rivals now?" Adam raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you don't need someone to protect you while you eat sandwiches?"

Graham stuck his hand out. "May the best trainer win this rivalry. See you around?"

"Looks like it." Adam shook Graham's hand, and Graham was off. It felt somewhat satisfying to have a rival now that he did. It made him feel like a normal trainer, one without a criminal past. The feeling of satisfaction changed to a feeling of empty guilt. He wasn't sure if he'd continue to get lucky with the Bandits. They'd find out who he was eventually, and he'd be punished. That he was sure of.

With Graham gone, Adam made his way into the Pokémon Center. Joy was standing at the front desk, leaning against it, facing the door. Adam approached her, taking his hoodie off. Graham was right; it really was too hot for one.

"They're serving pizza," Joy said. "Come on. I'm starving."

Adam followed Joy, and Togepi, to the cafeteria, which was white-walled with red booths that had blue cushions. They each grabbed two slices of pizza, Joy's were cheese, Adam's were pepperoni, from the buffet line and found a nearby booth. Jasper jumped onto the seat next to Adam. Togepi sat on the table. Each had a bowl of Pokémon food that they began nibbling on. Adam let Swell and Baker onto the floor, where their bowls sat, to do the same.

"That was pretty interesting," Joy said between bites, "how you stood up to that lady without a care. Citizens here are too afraid of the Bandits, so they often don't stand up for themselves."

"Then, why did you?" Adam took a bite of his pizza.

"Because I was done making sure the center was secure," Joy said. "My older sister runs this one, and we wanted to make sure the Pokémon were fine before either of us left to see what was going on. Plus, the broad was yelling about the Viridian Relic like she knew what it was. I had to see what that was about."

"What do you know about the Viridian Relic?" Adam leaned back.

Joy reached to her neck and pulled the white gold chain of a necklace up. At the end, dropping past the chest of her dress, was an old stone shaped like a puzzle piece.

"This is the Viridian Relic," Joy said. "It's been in my family since its inception, thousands of years ago when Mew was around."

Adam narrowed his eyes.

"See," Joy continued. "Kanto was the original place where things started to develop. Mew had otherwise enjoyed the world as a Pokémon-only place, but humans were an inevitable thing, I guess. There is said to be a shrine in the heart of the Kanto region where the relics can be used together to awaken a great power; one that can lead to a great treasure. My guess is that's what the Bandits are after."

"Why not just let them have it?" Adam asked. "I mean, they're probably going to try to find the other relics, anyway. Who's to say they won't eventually get yours?"

"Well, I'm going to start traveling," Joy said. "Togepi and I aren't cut out for the nursing life. I'd rather see the world. I can capture more Pokémon and build a team that will protect me."

Joy's brows furrowed, a smile growing on her chin.

"Or," she said. "I can find someone to travel with. Someone who isn't afraid to fight those losers, to help me protect it. What do you say?"

Adam blinked. He looked at his Pokémon, all of which were carelessly chomping away at their food. He supposed it wouldn't hurt to have an actual traveling buddy, but he wasn't sure having one with something the Bandits wanted would keep him from being discovered as a runaway. But he couldn't very well tell Joy that.

"Why not?" Adam said with a grin. "We should go after lunch."


	4. Stinging Fears

**Chapter Four: Stinging Fears**

When Adam and Joy were done with lunch, they headed to a room in the back of the Pokémon Center, where Joy packed a bag for herself. Without wasting any time, the two of them headed out of the Pokémon Center and toward the other side of town. By then, the citizens of Viridian City had dispersed, though a few had stuck around to help clean up the mess Sage and Golem caused.

Adam had stuck the Golem's pokeball in his backpack after lunch, making sure it was safe while they headed for Pewter City, where Golem's owner resided. They headed through town until they were at the edge, where the road turned into another dirt pathway surrounded by grass. Unlike the route between Pallet Town and Viridian City, the route they were on had more trees more closely together.

"Where are we headed?" Adam hated to admit that the most traveling he did was with the Bandits. He was never the navigator. He only helped rally missions once they arrived.

"Viridian Forest," Joy said. "It's what stands between us and Pewter City. "So you said you were going to take the gym leader there for everything he was worth. Does that mean you're competing for badges?"

"That's the plan." Adam again remembered his promise to Professor Oak. "That and building a team that will help me win the Indigo Challenge."

"Like that one?" Joy stopped walking. Ahead at a grove of trees that were tall and seemingly endless, Joy pointed at a small green and yellow Caterpie nuzzling around the grass unassumingly.

Adam reached into his pocket and pulled out his Pokedex. The Pokedex registered information about Caterpie's suction cup feet and stinky aroma that it used for protection.

"Doesn't Caterpie evolve into Butterfree?" Adam asked Joy.

"Oh!" Joy's face lit up. "I love Butterfree. Sometimes they come from the forest and flutter around town. I've always wanted one of my own, but they just look to happy to catch."

"Swell." Adam reached for his pokeball, not wanting to waste any time. "Use Water Gun."

Swell appeared on the ground, chanting his name. He began running forward, taking in a deep breath as he did. When he closed in on Caterpie, he released a force of water, drenching the opposing Pokémon and causing her to ball up and roll toward the forest, soon not as visible.

"Damn." Adam headed forward. Jasper jumped from his shoulders and ran behind him. Joy wasn't far behind.

When Adam, Swell, and Jasper reached the entrance, Adam looked around. The forest was darker than the route prior was, the sun covered by the high sitting trees. There were strange chirping and squirming sounds resonating through the forest, some faint and some nearby. But Adam didn't care about that. He sighed in relief when his eyes set on the Caterpie, lying on the ground.

"Hm." Adam bit his lip, his eyebrows furrowing. "Poor guy seems to be winded. Good job, Swell."

Adam pulled an empty pokeball from his belt and chucked it in an upward arch, toward the Caterpie. It smacked into Caterpie's fatigued body and opened up, sucking the Caterpie in. A ding quickly followed, and the pokeball sat there on the ground, in the grass.

"Well, that was easy." Adam picked the pokeball up.

"Caterpie's aren't strong Pokémon." Joy reached Adam. "The cool part about them is they seem to evolve pretty quickly. Are you going to nickname that one, too?"

"Yes." Adam sighed. "But what should I name her? She's going to be a Butterfree. How about Monarch?"

"She's your Pokémon." Joy smiled. "I think Monarch is a nice name for a future Butterfree."

"Great," Adam said, sticking the pokeball on his belt. "Swell, it's time to return. Thanks for helping out."

"Squirtle!" Swell disappeared into his pokeball. "Now, let's get going."

Adam, Joy, and Jasper continued into the forest with Adam at the lead. Joy was a few paces behind him, and Jasper was somewhere in between. Adam and Joy talked about random things, their hobbies before traveling and their favorite foods.

"What about your family?" Joy asked.

Adam didn't respond at first. "Eh," he said. "My mother died about three and a half years ago. And my older brother is traveling around somewhere. I haven't seen or heard from him since he left."

"Oh, I'm sorry I brought it up." Joy sighed with concern, but her focus quickly shifted to something ahead. "What are those?"

She pointed, hurrying to catch up with Adam. Adam narrowed his eyes, focusing on what was ahead. There were two Pokémon—a small yellow Pokémon with pointy ears and a black tail and a larger, buzzing Pokémon with big red eyes, a pale yellow body, and a silver stinger.

"Is that a," Adam stuttered, "Beedrill?"

"Are you afraid of Beedrill?" Joy's head craned toward Adam.

"It has a stinger!" Adam nearly cried. "Imagine if that thing pierced your body? I'd break in half!"

"It doesn't look like it wants to sting you, though." Joy's focus hit the two Pokémon once again. "It looks like it wants to attack that little Pokémon up there. Is that a Pikachu?"

Adam held his Pokedex up.

"It's Pikachu's pre-evolution," Adam said. "A Pichu. A baby."

"Against a Beedrill?" Joy's voice lined with alarm. "There's no way a Pichu will survive an attack from a Pokémon like Beedrill. We have to intervene."

"Urgh." Adam was hesitant.

"I only have Togepi," Joy said. "But the only attack she really has is Solar Beam. A bug and poison Pokémon like Beedrill could come out of that alright."

"Fine." Adam swallowed the lump in his throat and reached for his belt. "Baker, let's do this."

Baker appeared on the grassy ground and yelled, "Mankey!"

"I don't think I really have a Pokémon that'll be good against this Beedrill, but I guess we can try." Adam pointed forward, at the Beedrill. "Baker, use Low Kick while it's not paying attention. Get its attention off that poor Pichu."

"Mank," Baker said with a nod. With a charge, Baker went for Beedrill. When he was close, he jumped just high enough to strike Beedrill's middle body with his two front toes. Beedrill buzzed in pain as he flew to the side, out of the way.

"Pichu," Adam yelled, running for the Pokémon. "Get to safety."

The Pichu turned his head to Adam, curiously. Then, he looked at the Beedrill as he buzzed back into form. The volume of the buzzing increased and flapping sounds surrounded them.

"What's happening?" Adam looked around.

"Um." Joy moved closer to Adam. "I think the Beedrill is calling on more Beedrill."

"What?" Adam's eyes widened and his slightly tan face went white. He swallowed, unsure if he could keep it down. "What, what do we do?"

"We need to find protection," Joy said. "If we hurry, I bet we can get a head start and find something to hide us from these things."

"Good." Adam stepped forward. "Because I don't want to get stung! Baker, Pichu, let's go. You too, Jasper."

Baker returned to his pokeball and Jasper jumped onto Adam's shoulder. Pichu stayed where he was as the Beedrill headed for it. More Beedrill appeared above the trees, stingers ready.

"Dammit." Adam headed forward and grabbed Pichu from the ground, holding him in his arms. "Let's go."

With Jasper on his shoulder and Pichu in his arms, Adam headed forward. Joy was right as his side, and they both ran as fast as they could, as the growing swarm of Beedrill attempted to sting them. One Beedrill sliced Jasper's back as they ran.

"Meowth!" Jasper screamed.

"Hang tight, buddy." Adam headed forward.

"There," Joy said. She was pointing at large tree with a thick trunk. There was an opening at the bottom that had just enough room for all of them to fit snugly.

"That'll have to work." Adam dove forward and crawled under the tree. Jasper slowly crawled in followed by Pichu. Adam reached his arm out and grabbed Joy's hand to pull her in, but before she could pull her leg in, one of the Beedrill's stingers sliced her leg.

"Ah," she screamed as she pulled her leg in. "They got me, too."

Adam lay on his stomach to make more room for Joy. Joy was hunched over in the roomiest part of the tree. Outside, the Beedrill were stinging the ground over and over, but eventually they retreated.

"What can I do?" Adam asked. "For you and Jasper."

Jasper curled up on the ground, his face red.

"He's poisoned, and so am I." Joy stifled a wince. "It will hit him a lot faster than me because he's smaller, but I have an antidote for him."

"And what about you?" Adam had a concern look in his eyes as Joy handed him an antidote from her bag. He sprayed it on Jasper's wound.

"You should put him in his pokeball so he can recover," Joy said.

"Good idea." Adam grabbed Jasper's pokeball. "He's not a battler, so he doesn't usually have any issues like this. Poor guy."

Jasper returned to his pokeball with no fuss, but Adam was now more concerned about Joy. He glared at her leg. The slice was long and thin, but red and throbbing.

"I need to get to a hospital to have this sucked out of my body before it spreads," Joy said. "But we're barely into the forest. We're not going to make it before nightfall."

"Wait." Adam squirmed for her. "I've done this before. An old friend of mine once got bit by an Ekans. I think I can suck the poison out of your leg if it hasn't spread too far. Are you comfortable with that?"

"Anything to stop the pain." Joy almost couldn't deliver her words through the pain. Adam moved his mouth onto the cut and began sucking like there was air that needed to come out. He felt something oozy enter his mouth. It was bitter, but he kept going, careful to keep it from traveling down his throat.

"That should be okay," Joy said after about a minute. "If most of it's out, I can just get a shot when we get to Pewter City. I'm going to need a little time to regain strength, though."

Adam took his lips off her calve and spit the contents of his mouth onto the dirt under him. He exhaled heavily.

"Let's hope so." He turned his attention to Pichu. "Are you okay, little guy?"

"Chu." The black-eyed Pokémon smiled.

"Good." Adam grabbed a cloth from his backpack and tied it around Joy's leg. "That should keep any residual poison from spreading. I think we should stay covered for a few hours. Rest up. If we nap for a bit, it'll be dark and we can head further through the forest. The Beedrill should leave us alone at night."

"What about Pichu?" Joy asked, pulling her leg in.

"Are you good to stay with us until tonight, buddy?" Adam looked at Pichu. "We'll make sure you get home safe later on. What do you say?"

Rather than respond, Pichu lay down next to Adam's torso, rubbing his head softly against his side. Adam handed Joy his rolled up sleeping bag, letting her use it as a pillow. Before he rested his head on his arm, he set an alarm on his Pokedex for five hours later. Then, like Joy and Pichu already had, he let himself fall asleep for the time being.


End file.
